Recipes

RECIPES FOR FARM STAND BOUNTY!

What to do with all of this bounty of food from our local neighborhood farms and yards! Can’t figure out what to do with the apple or permissions? Here are some recipes to help you use some of that local produce you found at the farm stand!

Homemade Healthy Apple Sauce

Entry by Scott Vanderlip

We picked about 150 lbs of apples from a neighbors trees one afternoon and we place a few boxes of the apples out for free at the farm stand and took two large baskets of apples home for canning. These trees were not maintained and many of the apples had various worm holes so we had to distribute them quickly. We put some out for free at the farm stand and used some ourselves. An important item for the tree harvesting was (2) pole fruit pickers we purchased before the harvest from Orchard Supply hardware. Ladders were not needed.

Apple sauce is one food item you really can’t fail at. It easy, cheap and kid friendly and healthy.

Wash and core and then quarter apples with their skins on. cut out and remove any worm or bad areas of apple. Often an apple will have a small bad part, but most of it will still be completely useable.

Place into a large pot with small (3 tablespoons) water, and let them simmer with the lid on in their own moisture turning them now and then to preventing burning on the bottom (20-40 minutes)

Once they are very soft mushy, you can run the whole thing through a food mill or a blender or food processor. The skins will be part of the sauce. After all of the milling, you might get a minimal amount of stuff that won’t go through the mill.

EAT or freeze or can or place in the frig for use within 1-2 weeks. For canning, carefully follow the canning directions for the method you are using.

I made and canned about about 16 pints of apple sauce in about 3 1/2 hours. This was about 3-4 big batches of apple sauce. My apples required a lot of cutting around various worm holes and issues. I got the apples for free

Recipe #2 – There are times when I just need a small batch of smooth apple sauce to add to my granola recipe as the granola is primo when made with fresh apple sauce versus apple sauce from a jar. So just wash and slice the apples into the quarters with the skins into the pot with water and cinnamon for the amount you need. Then once cooked down, put them into your blender and blend it down and make the skins disappear!

Persimmons Recipes

Hachiya persimmons (the soft kind)

According to Sunset Magazine article from November 1968:

To use the fruit of soft persimmons, simply cut them in half and scoop the flesh from

the skin with a spoon. Or cut off the tops and serve as a dessert in shallow glasses.

For best flavor, they should be served well chilled. Carefully slice fresh, unpeeled soft

persimmons to use in salads and desserts.

You can freeze these soft persimmons whole for use later in the year. Freezing actually

heightens their natural sweet flavor. Partially defrosted frozen persimmons can be served

as a simple dessert; eaten this way, they are similar to a fresh fruit ice.

Freezing Whole Soft Persimmons

Let persimmons ripen until very soft and jellylike. Wash fruit, place on a flat tray in your

freezer, and freeze until firm. Then wrap persimmons individually and overwrap tightly

for storage in freezer. (You avoid bruising the fruit if you wrap it after it is frozen.)

To serve, remove persimmons from freezer about 20 minutes before you plan to eat

them. You might peel them with a vegetable peeler while still frozen and slice into a

serving dish, or serve whole.

The pulp of soft persimmons can be used in baked products such as cakes and cookies,

much as you would use apple sauce. Also you can freeze this persimmon puree to use

later for baking.

Spicy Persimmon Cake

1-1/4 cups persimmon puree

1 t. soda

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups regular all-purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

¼ t. salt

½ t. each, nutmeg and cloves

½ cup finely chopped pecans

1 t. grated orange peel

½ t. grated lemon peel

Sifted powdered sugar or slightly sweetened whipped cream

Stir together the persimmon puree and soda until well blended: let stand while you

cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add persimmon puree and

soda mixture to the creamed mixture: blend well. Sift flour, measure, and sift again with